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Economic Development

Government 'absolutely committed' to HS2 from London to Manchester and east of England

It was recently reported HS2 might not run to its planned central London terminus at Euston due to rising costs

A CGI of how the new HS2 high speed trains will look(Image: HS2 Ltd)

The rail minister has insisted that the government is "absolutely committed" to delivering HS2 trains from London to Manchester and to the east of England.

However Huw Merriman added "cost pressures" must be examined as he faced calls from Labour to "categorically deny" the Department for Transport is working on plans to "slash" the high-speed rail project.

Phase One of HS2 involves the railway being built between London and Birmingham, with the line extended from the West Midlands to Crewe in Phase 2a.

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Phase 2b will connect Crewe to Manchester, and the West Midlands to the East Midlands. The planned extension to Leeds was shelved in November 2021.

It was recently reported HS2 might not run to its planned central London terminus at Euston due to rising costs.

For Labour, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh called for certainty over the project.

She told the House of Commons: "Briefings, leaks and rumours about the future of HS2 are pouring out of this department.